


Not Done Yet

by wishfulwannabe



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: 2018 olympics, Angst, F/M, Fluff, PyeongChang
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-01
Updated: 2018-03-01
Packaged: 2019-03-25 16:50:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13838979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wishfulwannabe/pseuds/wishfulwannabe
Summary: And it’s not healthy, he knows it. This jealousy that sometimes bubbles up in him and that he less frequently lets spill over. Tessa is her own person, she can make her own decisions. He chalks it down to the fact that he is looking out for his best friend, not that he still sometimes gets the same butterflies in his stomach when she holds his hand as he did when he was nine years old.ORSnapshots of Tess Virtue and Scott Moir's life through the lyrics of Fool's Gold by One Direction.





	Not Done Yet

**Author's Note:**

> This wasn't supposed to be this long or this deep... oops.  
> So my hoe ass who is obsessed with both One Direction and Tessa & Scott decided to combine the two in this horribly messy piece of work based off of the heartbreaking song Fools Gold. I DEEPLY apologize for how it bounces back and forth and realize that not everyone's minds work the way mine does. I really hope you are able to follow along with this and not feel a wicked sense of whiplash afterwards!  
> May or may not be making an Epilogue to fill in some of the missing parts. Who knows. We will see. Maybe I'll find another song to put on repeat and write my heart out while listening to it.  
> Much love as always. xoxo
> 
> (find me on tumblr: wishfulwannabe)

_I’m like a crow on a wire, you’re the shining distraction that makes me fly._

_Montreal 2017_

“Scott,” He can hear his name being echoed from behind him, but he can’t seem to take his eyes off of her. The dress, the hair, the makeup. Everything. All coming together to create what he knows as the most beautiful human being. “Scott, are you ready?”

He turns around and sees Patch holding out a water bottle to him as well as his hand. Scott shakes his head, has to peel his eyes away from Tessa to grab Patch’s hand and begin squatting up and down.

Tessa comes up beside him and does the same thing with Marie, squatting. Up. Down. Up. Down. He’s distracted, is the thing. He knows he is. It’s the first time he has seen her in the costume and he can’t seem to figure out that thing called breathing.

He had said once in an interview that he likes when they wait until a program to show each other their costumes, especially the big ones. Now here he is, at the first competition of the season, seeing Tessa in this leopard print dress. It’s basically sheer except for the lines of a black bra and underwear.

The thing is, he has always thought that Tessa is gorgeous. From the first time he held her hand on the ice back in Ilderton. His hand would get sweaty and instead of complaining she would just smile at him. Minutes later he would notice Tess wiping her hand on her thigh a few times, but she would always do it away from him so he wouldn’t notice. Too bad whenever she is in the room he notices everything she does. Everything she is.

“You’re distracted,” She whispers in his ear once he is done his squats and he takes a swig from his bottle. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

And he can’t say it, can he? The thoughts going on in his head because honestly most of them are quite filthy. “You,” Is what he settles on.

“Good,” Is what she replies with. Good. Maybe good because she should be the only thing running through his head right now. Good because he is pulling her in for their hug. Good because they are synching their breathing and all he can focus on is the feeling of the sheer costume on his hands. Good. What’s not so good is how he is thinking of her. What he is thinking of her doing. More specifically, doing to him.

They pull away from their hug twenty seconds later. He grabs the back of her neck before completely letting go and just looks into her eyes. Maybe if his brain is surrounded by the warm green colour he can forget about the black. The skin. The jewels so meticulously placed around her most sensitive areas. 

“No distractions, Scotty, let’s go,” Marie pats his back and he finally pulls away. Finally let’s go of Tessa’s neck to grab her hand. 

He looks at her and smiles. “Let’s fly.”

_You’re the rays on the waves that calm my mind._

_Sochi 2014_

Usually it’s him who is rubbing sure strokes on her back, making sure she is breathing and focused. Now it is him. His breathing is the one that is irregular. His heart is the one that is beating faster than his doctor probably wishes. 

“Scott?” He hears her before he sees her, whips his head around and sees her concerned face scrunched up. “You okay?” 

He can only shake his head, doesn’t think his throat can contract in the proper way right now to let his voice escape.

She rushes over to him and sits on the bench beside him, their thighs touching. “What’s wrong?”

And how is he supposed to just come out there and say he is nervous. Just let her know that he may or may not have emptied the contents of his stomach into a nearby toilet moments before. Let her know that he is afraid of skating. Let her know that he’s not just afraid of the program, he is afraid of losing her.

“It’s our last skate,” Is all he says.

“It’s just the exhibition, Scotty. Why have you gone all nervous on me?”

“I don’t want to lose you,” And there. He’s said it.

Tessa pauses and stops the small strokes she had going on his lower back. She sighs and places her head on his shoulder. “You’re not losing me, Scott Moir.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Are you saying I don’t know myself?” She questions him and he thinks she is going to pull away, is going to get mad, but she presses her face harder into his collarbone.

“I’m just saying, I know you better than you know yourself at times.”

She pauses, and his heart beats faster. He doesn’t think it is physically possible but he may soon have an open wound in his chest where his heart is going to jump right out of his ribcage.

“I’m telling you right now. I’m not leaving you,” She wraps her arm around his waist and pulls him in closer, if that is even possible. “You’re my best friend.”

And he isn’t sure when Tess calling Scott her best friend started to sting a little but it does. It’s just a small pain, deep in his gut. But it’s there. Has been for a while if he is being honest with himself.

“I love you,” Is all he says and she sniffles. Sounds like she is crying but he knows better.

“I love you, too.”

And it settles his mind. Makes his body relax and sink into himself. He let’s himself sink into her. But then again, she’s always been able to do that.

_But I know in my heart, you’re not a constant star._

_Canton 2008_

“You’re getting surgery?” He has to question it out loud because he doesn’t understand. Doesn’t get how she can just decide to do this without asking him. “When were you going to tell me?”

She looks shocked and she has every right to be. He’s heard rumours around the rink that she is going to be getting surgery. Two incisions on her calves. He can’t help but picture her lying on a doctor’s table, people in scrubs working away on what could make or break the rest of her life. Hell, the rest of his life. So he finally calls her out on it.

“Scott, I-“ He doesn’t let her finish.

“What the fuck, Tessa?” She reaches out to him and for the first time in his life he pulls away. “Why wouldn’t you talk to me about this?”

“I didn’t want to hurt you.”

He wants to punch something. “And you think me hearing it from other people is going to be any better?!”

“I don’t know!” She’s breathing heavily and he can tell there is water pooling in her eyes. “I don’t know how everyone figured it out.”

“Yeah, fuck, everyone but me apparently,” He just looks at her and his heart is torn. He wants to feel bad for her, wants to focus on the fact that she may never skate again. Wants to console her and hug her and wipe her tears away. But he can’t help but be selfish. Can’t help but feel a distant hurt in his chest that he wasn’t the first person she told. That she kept this a secret from him. That she didn’t even tell him at all, really, that he had to find out from someone else. 

“Fuck, Scott, you’re so selfish!” And he knows that, but to hear her say it out loud makes his heart flutter, and not in a good way.

“Oh, I’m the selfish one? You didn’t even tell me that I very well could have my career end in about a week!”

“I am the one having my legs cut open, Scott. Me. Not you. I’m the one in pain every single day I step on that ice. There are other skaters, Scott. I’m the one who is suffering.”

And how can she say that. “There’s no one else, Tess! Why would I ever skate with anyone else? I would rather dance around with sandbags on a fucking hockey stick than replace you!” He tries to sound mad, to sound intimidating, but he doesn’t. Not one bit.

She sighs, wipes under her eyes and steps forward. His breathing slows down the second she puts her hand on his cheek. She does that for him. “I’m scared.”

He doesn’t expect that from her. Sure she gets nervous, anxious, embarrassed, all these emotions under the sun. But she doesn’t get scared. And that’s when he knows it’s real. 

“I love you, Tess.”

She scoffs and shakes her head. “What if I never skate again?”

“We’ll figure it out. You and I.”

She nods and pulls him into a hug. “I’m sorry.”

He shakes his head because yeah he is still mad but she doesn’t have to be sorry. “It’s okay. You know, you’re not always going to be constant.”

“What do you mean?” She pulls back from him and stares.

“You are so hard on yourself. You’re always expecting yourself to be this huge star but you’re not always going to be. You can’t. And I think we both have to realize that that’s okay.”

She lets a tear slide and Scott thinks that it’s a start.

_I’ve let you use me from the day that we first met._

_Ilderton 1997_

He’s still mad at himself for not being able to play hockey with his friends. He’s mad that his mom made him switch over to figure skates and dance choreographed routines to songs that aren’t even good.

“Scott, come here,” His mom calls him over to where she is standing by the boards with a girl who is small, has a pony tail tied tightly at the back of her head.

He skates over to his mom and the girl and stops himself easily. He’s proud of himself, has been working on his stops quite frequently the past few practices. 

“Honey, this is Tessa,” His mom gestures to the little girl and she shyly waves at him, her eyes not quite meeting his own.

“Hi,” He waves and continues to look at her. Her cheeks pink up and Scott thinks that may be his new favourite colour.

“Remember how we were talking about giving you a partner to skate with?” His mom asks him carefully and he nods. Looks at the girl beside him and hopes with all of his heart that this is her. “Well, Tessa is going to be your skating partner.”

He smiles and stares at her a little longer. She finally looks up at him and no. Her pink cheeks are not his new favourite colour, but rather the green that is swimming in her eyes. 

They stand there awkwardly, just staring at each other and his mom coughs. He looks at her and she gestures for him to do something. Anything.

“Well come on then,” He holds out his hand and the girl, Tessa, slowly reaches to place hers in his own. 

They skate around the ice for a little bit, side by side, just stroking along the boards. He very much notices the warm heat of her hand in his. Very much notices the fact that their hands start sliding around a bit from sweat. He really hopes it’s not his own.

“Oh!” She all of a sudden starts slipping and he reaches out to grab her other arm. He pulls her upright before her bum hits the ground. “I’m sorry,” She mumbles and he just smiles.

“It’s alright, everyone falls down sometimes.”

“Good thing you were there to catch me,” She smiles at him and his head goes all fuzzy. There is a weird feeling in his tummy and he is pretty sure his brothers have talked about this before. He thinks they call it butterflies. “I only started skating a few months ago.”

“That’s okay, now you can use me to hold on. I guess that’s the good thing about having a partner.”

And she smiles at him again and he notices she has a front tooth missing. Vaguely thinks that makes her cuter. 

“I guess I will use you from now on, then.”

Scott thinks that sounds like a pretty good idea.

_I knew that you turn it on for everyone you met._

_Vancouver 2010_

They are celebrating, is the thing. There’s athletes everywhere around them, holding drinks and dancing along to the music currently blasting from the front of the room. It’s the last night before Closing Ceremony’s and Scott feels overwhelmed. He wonders if he will ever come off of the high of being an Olympic gold medalist. Right now, he isn’t sure.

“Scotty!” Patrick comes up to him and pulls him into a close hug, slapping his back in the process. “You want a drink?” Patrick points to his empty glass and when did that happen?

“Yeah, sure Chiddy,” Scott smiles at him and passes him the empty cup. It isn’t until Patrick is walking away that Scott realizes the glass was plastic, and Patrick is probably just going to throw it away and get him another. In his defense, his focus hasn’t been that great since he had a medal placed around his neck.

He looks around the room and can’t lie that he feels tipsy. Knows he probably shouldn’t have got Patrick to buy him a drink so soon, but he needs it. Wants to celebrate this victory and feeling like he is on top of the world.

“Where’s your girl?” Patrick asks when he gets back to Scott, handing him over a glass, which looks like it has beer, filled to the brim.

It’s a thing Patrick does. He’s almost as bad as the rest of the media, calling Tess his girl and Scott her boy. Scott just lets it go, doesn’t even acknowledge it anymore. The first time Patrick did it he was being genuine, thought the two were in an actual relationship. The statement was quickly followed up with Tessa furiously denying any relationship between the two other than their partnership. Patrick just laughed and shook his head, clearly not believing it. Scott thinks that to this day Patrick still thinks they are lying to themselves.

“Not sure,” Scott responds to Patrick’s question of where Tessa is and he really doesn’t know. Hasn’t seen her since they first walked in and she saw Kaitlyn and Andrew dancing with a few other athletes. She had run up to them, giving them all hugs and beginning to socialize. Scott would have done the same if he didn’t feel like he was going to fall apart unless he got a drink in him.

“Oh, found her!” Patrick shouts over the loud music and points a finger to the dance floor they have set up in the middle of the Canada House. It’s funny, the fact that they completely rearranged this section of the Olympic Village into a full out night club.

Tessa is dancing with a few other people, some Scott recognizes and others he doesn’t. He can’t help, though, but clench the hand not holding his drink when he sees Tess with her back to another guy, pressing into his front.

“Looks like you have some competition,” Patrick comments from beside him and he really needs to shut up.

“Shut up,” Scott vocalizes his thoughts and shakes his head, turning away from Tessa and towards the bar. He throws back the beer, chugging so fast some of it falls down his chin, and heads to pick up another.

He’s at the bar for maybe thirty seconds when a man comes up beside him. The same man who just had his front plastered to his partner. “Hey man,” The other guy greets him and Scott isn’t a violent person (usually) but he really wants to punch him.

“Hey,” He replies shortly and keeps his head turned towards the bartender, waiting for her to meet his eyes and ask his order.

“I’m Ryan,” The other man, Ryan, greets him like Scott would ever want to know his name.

“Scott.”

Ryan laughs. “Yeah I know, you’re partner is pretty fantastic,” And wow if Scott didn’t want to punch him before. 

“Thanks,” He keeps it short, wanting to get out of the area and more specifically the conversation with this guy. 

“You know if she’s any good?”

Scott is confused. Any good at what? Skating? The gold medal sitting in both of their bedside tables would conclude that yes she is. “At what?”

“You know,” The man prods him and oh. “You ever fuck her?”

Scott is pretty sure the rest of the room can see the smoke coming from his ears. It takes his entire will power to keep his clenched fists at his sides. Takes everything in him not to teach this guy a lesson. What that lesson is, Scott doesn’t know. Maybe it’s to teach him to treat women with more respect, to teach him not to assume skating partners have sex all the time. Scott thinks though that maybe the most likely lesson would be to not mess with Tessa. Ever. 

“Fuck you,” Scott practically spits in his face and grabs the beer the bartender just placed in front of him. “Don’t you go near Tessa again.”

“She’s not yours, dude,” Ryan throws his hands in the air briefly and shakes his head.

“She’s not yours either,” He pauses and holds his beer up, taking a swig. “Dude.”

After that he practically runs over to Tessa on the dance floor. Grabs her hand and pulls her into his front. “Don’t talk to that guy again.”

And it’s not healthy, he knows it. This jealousy that sometimes bubbles up in him and that he less frequently lets spill over. Tessa is her own person, she can make her own decisions. He chalks it down to the fact that he is looking out for his best friend, not that he still sometimes gets the same butterflies in his stomach when she holds his hand as he did when he was nine years old.

“What guy?” Tessa asks.

“Ryan,” He grits the other man’s name through his teeth. Tessa can tell something isn’t right.

“Scott. What’s wrong?” What does he tell her? That he is over watching her go for guy after guy. That he knows she is gorgeous and can attract all different types of people. That he is tired of sitting from afar and watching her unconsciously stomp on his heart every time she so much as smiles at another man.

“Nothing,” And he ends up telling the truth. “He just asked me if you were good at sex because he assumed we fucked.”

She scrunches her nose up and Scott doesn’t want to think about if the look of disgust on her face is because of Ryan or because of her thinking of having sex with Scott.

“Who does that?”

“A dick, that’s who.”

She pulls him in for a quick hug. “Thanks Scotty. For looking out for me.”

He pauses and looks at her. Takes in the glow that hasn’t left her face since she whispered in his ear that they won the Olympics. “Always.”

_I’m the first to admit that I’m reckless_

_Colorado Springs 2006_

It’s the Four Continents competition and Tessa has been anxious since they touched down in the airport. Her nervous energy is now seeping into Scott’s demeanour. It always has. He can feel every emotion that she does. They’ve been paired together for almost ten years, it comes with the territory.

“Tess, relax,” He pulls her into his side and whispers in her ear while they are waiting by the boards for their practice time. 

“I know,” She breathes in heavily, exhales shakily. He doesn’t know how to help her, how to get her to calm down. 

“What are you thinking about?” And it’s something they have been doing recently. Asking each other what they are thinking about. Marina says that it helps with their synchronization, Scott just feels nosy when they do it. 

“They look so good,” She nods her head to the pairs already on the ice. She does that a lot, measures her worth through other people rather than her own excellence. 

“Stop thinking about them,” He says to her and knows that it’s not that easy. Tess is a chronic over thinker. Scott doesn’t think there is a time where she isn’t thinking about _something_.

“I think we messed up,” And oh. They’re talking about that.

“T, it’s fine-“

“Scott, it means something,” She turns to look at him and her face is so close to his.

He has to remind himself to breathe, to not get lost in her eyes that are shining a little brighter today. He’s not sure if it is because of his own interpretation or if it’s the tears beginning to well up.

“I’m sorry, okay. I fucked up. I shouldn’t have done it. I was drunk and-“

She turns her head away from him and he shuts his mouth. What does this mean?

“I didn’t know you were drunk,” She whispers and he can’t help but laugh.

Her face changes and oh. She thinks he is making fun of her. “How did you not know I was drunk?”

“I don’t know. No one told me that people were breaking into the liquor cabinet until after midnight.”

“Are you jealous?” And he knows he shouldn’t be joking with her right now, knows that she is upset.

She giggles, though, and that is a step. “No. Unlike some people I don’t get drunk a day before a competition and then kiss my partner.”

Scott wants to laugh because he knows she is joking, but he just inhales sharply. Hearing her say it out loud, that he kissed her, makes him want to do it again. It doesn’t help that there is a blush creeping up her neck and pinking her cheeks.

“Oh so you’re so much better than me now?” He tries to joke back but it falls short. She notices.

“It happened, and you were drunk, and it didn’t mean anything.”

“Yeah.”

“Tell me.”

He’s confused. “Tell you what?”

“Tell me it didn’t mean anything.”

He sighs. “It happened and I was drunk.”

She raises her eyebrow. “And it didn’t mean anything?” It’s worse when posed as a question.

“Yeah,” He breathes out. “Sure.”

She opens her mouth to argue but before anything can be said they are called on the ice, ready to begin their practice. He’s not sure if this conversation is over, not sure if they have just dropped what happened. But counting the number of missteps Scott has on the ice and how he basically drops her from their lift he doesn’t think _he_ can just drop what happened.

_Yeah I know your love’s not real, that’s not the way it feels_

_PyeongChang 2018_

It’s pretty wild, he thinks, how they have completely blown up in the media. It’s not just Canada now either. Not just their home country who has become enraptured by their chemistry, their dancing, their sport.

“How are they not in love?” “They have to be in a relationship.” “I’m pretty sure they are secretly married with two kids.” Those are just some of the statements that he has heard and seen over the past two weeks. It has gotten worse since they won their gold medal.

There has always been a media parade about the two of them. People wondering how they can have a chemistry like they do without truly being in love. Without having raw feelings for each other that they lay out on the ice every time they dance. 

It opens wounds though every time it happens in this capacity. Although, Scott thinks, it has never been this big. Countries from all over the world are broadcasting them on their televisions and newspapers. It’s overwhelming and painful. Or maybe overwhelmingly painful. Yeah, that’s it.

“Hey, are you okay?” Tessa leans over to him just before they start another interview and he snaps out of his thoughts.

He smiles at her. “Yeah, just tired is all.”

She doesn’t believe it, he can tell. After almost twenty-one years they know when the other isn’t telling the complete truth. He doesn’t know whether that is a good thing or a dangerous one. Many occurrences would side with the latter. 

The interviewer comes up to him and he smiles, plasters this grin on his face. It hasn’t been so hard to smile for the cameras lately. With his third Olympic gold medal, fifth overall, sitting on his bed back in his room he doesn’t think it’s all too bad. It’s easy for him to smile to cameras and microphones. 

“So, going to get this out of the way, you two are not in a relationship, correct?” This part isn’t so easy.

Tessa laughs easily, of course she does, and goes off about business partners and how she is honoured and touched that people truly believe their characters on ice. She doesn’t say it, but it’s there. The love is fake. They have never said that, but he feels it. Deep in his gut. It’s fake.

Usually when Scott thinks this he goes into an existential crisis wondering if it is _all_ fake. Wondering if they actually are best friends, if they really will stay in touch after their inevitable retirement. It isn’t good for his brain or his heart to ask these questions.

They continue on with the interview, then another, then another. It isn’t until around five pm that they get time to themselves. Tess asks if he wants to go to the McDonalds in the village and he agrees. Could really go for a burger and fries at the moment. 

“You would think that they could get one reporter to ask us about our relationship status and the rest would just drop it,” Tessa brings it up when they are both comfortably sitting in a booth with their orders. 

Scott smiles, picks at his fries and avoids looking at her. 

He hears her sigh across from him, then feels her hand on top of his. “Maybe you should skip the Arkells concert tonight.”

“No way,” He blurts out. She really thinks he is tired. It’s not a lie, his eyes keep wanting to close on their own accord. But he has been zoning out all day, including the past ten minutes, not because of his lack of sleep. “I’m fine,” And yeah, he is fine to keep going with the day. To keep his eyes open a little longer. But what he isn’t fine with is the way his heart keeps sinking every time Tess talks about their fake love. “Do you ever think about Montreal?”

“What?” She laughs. “Gotta be a little more specific, Scotty.”

He sighs. Maybe he shouldn’t be bringing this up now. Shouldn’t be opening up her wounds too. “The first night we moved there.”

She freezes and he knows she knows. Remembers that night, maybe as vivid as he does. “Scott-“

“T, just, listen.”

There’s a pause in the conversation. He’s trying to think of exactly what to say and he’s pretty sure Tessa’s trying to hold herself back from completely ending this interaction.

“I said some things back then. Real things. Things that have affected us, very clearly,” He gestures between them as if there is an aura they can see, something tangible where change can be drawn and concluded upon. “Do you ever think about it?”

She sits there with her lower lip clenched between her teeth. “All the time.”

It feels real, now. Hits him like a tonne of bricks. She thinks about it too. Thinks about his confession to her. That he was in love with her. That he _is_ in love with her. When he told her she had sat there silently, played with a frayed piece of her jeans. He advised her she didn’t have to say anything. Told her that he was saying it because he couldn’t continue to skate with her if she didn’t know. She took his advice. “Tess-“

“Scott, I really don’t think this is the time to be talking about this?”

“When is the time?” He asks her a little harsher than he wants and she flinches. He sits back against the booth and sighs. Closes his eyes and rubs his temples. “T, I don’t want to lose you.”

“Scott, why are you bringing this up now?”

“It’s not fake,” He starts. Maybe he should stop. He doesn’t. “You keep saying that this thing, this chemistry between us is fake-“

“I’ve never said it was fake, Scott.”

“You might as well!” Maybe he should lower his voice. “You know it’s not fake, T. Not for me. You know it’s not fake for me. And you say it’s not fake for you, but that’s not the way it feels.”

She’s crying now. It’s soft, just a few tears slipping down her cheeks. God he’s fucking exhausted. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“I don’t want to lose you.”

She sighs. “Scotty, this isn’t Sochi. You’re not going to lose me.”

It all comes undone after that. “How do I know that? How do I know that you going around and telling everyone that our love is fake isn’t a sign that everything else is? How do I know that you aren’t going to leave me behind? Fuck, Tess, you’re so fucking brilliant you could take over the world. Take it over and leave me behind in the process. I don’t-“ He pauses. Licks his lips and thinks. “I don’t know how to live without you.”

She inhales sharply and locks her eyes with his. She’s crying harder now, her shoulders shaking a bit and her hands frantically wipe away her tears. He can’t believe he’s gone and done this in a fucking McDonalds at the Olympics just after they have become the most decorated figure skaters in the world. 

“I don’t know what you want,” She repeats herself from earlier.

“Tell me you don’t love me,” He needs to hear it. Needs to hear her tell him this so he can even start to _think_ of moving on.

“I don’t think I can do that,” She whispers it, but it’s enough. Enough for Scott to grab onto her hand tighter than he ever has. It’s enough for Tess to link her leg around his under the booth. Enough for Scott to look to the future and have hope. Have strength. Have love. 

_I don’t regret, falling for you_

_Beijing 2022_

Scott thought that Korea was going to be the last time he set foot on Olympic ice. But here he is, digging a small crater with his toe pick into the ice by the boards.

“Scott, don’t fuck up the ice,” Tessa skates up beside him and hits his thigh lightly.

“I’m trying to screw over the competition,” He states like it’s obvious. Tessa snorts and then lets out a giggle. It still makes him slip a little on the ice. 

Tess grabs his hand and pulls him away from the chunk he just carved out of the ice over to the boards. 

“You ready?” She asks the young boy and girl currently taking drinks from their water bottles. “Don’t drink too much, remember what happened at nationals last year?” Tessa raises her eyebrows at Ella and Jonah snorts beside her. 

“El had to practically run off the ice to get to the bathrooms,” Jonah laughs and Ella looks wounded. “Don’t even think we got to finish our bows.”

“Shut up, Jo,” Ella mumbles and pushes him lightly. He slides a short distance away then skates back to give her a kiss on the cheek. Scott doesn’t miss the smile on Ella’s face.

“Do us proud, kiddos,” Scott pats Jonah on the pack and pulls Ella in for a side hug. “Remember on the twizzle sequence to land with-“

“The right leg,” Ella and Jonah groan at the same time, as if they have heard him say it a thousand times. A thousand may be a bit of an exaggeration but Scott’s sure the number is up there. 

“Wouldn’t have to keep saying it if you two would nail it,” And Tessa has been more fiery in this position than Scott had ever imagined her. It makes his eyes light up with delight and his heart beat to a perfect rhythm of _Tessa Tessa Tessa_.

He never thought they would be here, in Beijing. He definitely didn’t think they would be here together, coaches for the newest Canadian ice dance team. The news has been buzzing around Ella and Jonah, whispering and conspiring about how well they are going to do at these Olympics. The buzz peaked when it was disclosed who their coaches are. That the most decorated figure skating duo, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, decided to take the pair under their wing. Picked and plucked them to perfection. Are now standing here at the 2022 Olympic Games waiting for them to skate their free dance.

“Up next, representing Canada. Ella Smith and Jonah West,” The crowd claps loudly, roars with excitement and there is a faint hurt in Scott’s chest. He wants to hear the announcer say his name, wants to grab Tessa’s hand and pull her to center ice. Wants to make the audience feel the magic they can make between them.

“Is it weird I feel like a proud mom?” Tessa whispers into Scott’s ear and he laughs. Grabs her hip and pulls her into him.

“Is it weird that I’m as proud of them as I am of us?”

“Yes,” Tessa giggles and gives his cheek a quick kiss. “But I am proud of them. I’m proud of you, too.”

Scott looks down at her and sees she is glancing out at Ella and Jonah in their starting positions. The music starts and Scott turns his head to watch the pair. Watches all the hard work and effort they have put into the past three years come to life.

They had options. There were so many pairs coming to them, begging them to be coached by the infamous Tessa and Scott. Ella and Jonah were different. They’re quiet, dedicated, driven, focused, and so much more. Everything Tessa and Scott always were. When Scott first saw them skate his breath was taken from him. For a split second he saw Tessa and Scott on the ice, not Ella and Jonah.

“Them,” Tessa had leaned into him at their practice and confirmed his thoughts. They were the ones to be coached.

Now here they are, years and practices melded together into the perfect execution of their performance.

The program is spectacular, each element being hit perfectly and in sync with the music. Scott is proud. Tessa is almost in tears.

“We did it!” Jonah pulls Tessa into a hug when they get off the ice. Tessa laughs and grips him tightly.

“I’m so proud,” Scott does the same thing with Ella and gives her a kiss on the forehead. “You left everything on the ice.”

“Just like you taught us,” Jonah is grinning at Scott as he pulls Ella into his side. He kisses her temple and she grins even harder. “Just us.”

“Just you,” Tessa repeats back to him and grabs both their hands, pulling them off the ice and handing them their guards. 

They win gold. The kiss and cry is so familiar to Scott he has to take a minute to catch his breath. To slow his heart rate down. Ella and Jonah pull each other into a hug, him lifting her off the ground and spinning her around.

Tess does the same to him, pulls him in so tight it hurts a little. “They did it.”

“We did it,” Scott says into her ear and gives her five kisses. Maybe six. Maybe more, he doesn’t keep track. Kisses her all over her face and ends with one on her lips.

“I love you,” She says to him. He can still see Ella and Jonah celebrating out of the corner of his eye.

“I love you, so much,” He pulls her into him again.

That night he lays in bed with her, plays with her fingers and feels her hand drawing shapes into his chest.

“Do you regret it?” She speaks up and fills the quiet of the room.

“Regret what?”

“Our story. What we did, or rather, how we did it?”

He pauses. “I’m not sure I follow, T.”

“We were fucking idiots for years. I think back at how we were in love for so long and did nothing about it.”

He has to stop and think about her words. Has to let them process in his head. Does he regret it? He thinks about it sometimes, how she could have been his for longer than four years. How he could have held her and kissed her and. But then again, she was always his. And he was always hers.

“I don’t regret falling for you.”

She lifts her head off his shoulder and smiles at him, leans in to capture his lips with her own. “Me neither.”

He didn’t expect to be here, in Beijing, with her. Laying in a bed and telling each other about their love. But he is here. And he isn’t a fool. He always knew in his mind they would end up here. Or at least he had always hoped. Maybe not necessarily _here_ , in China, in this very bed, at their fourth Olympics. But in some way, shape, or form he saw himself. Here. Loving Tess. 


End file.
